United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
503 U.S. 607 · Decided April 21, 1992 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
United States Department of Energy v. Ohio was decided on April 21, 1992 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 503 U.S. 607 · 112 S. Ct. 1627 · 118 L. Ed. 2d 255 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 2547
- Docket number
- 90-1341
- Decided
- April 21, 1992
- Argued
- December 3, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
United States Department of Energy v. Ohio, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-063, docket 1991-063-01.
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- Sandra Jean Smith v. United States
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Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
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- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Southwest Marine, Inc. v. Byron Gizoni
- Union Bank v. Herbert Wolas
- Kenneth Hilton v. South Carolina Public Railways Commission
- Hunter v. Bryant
- Shirley M. Molzof v. United States
- Aletha Dewsnup v. Louis L. Timm
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error